Etched keeps winning in Meadowlands Cup

Darley Stable's homebred ETCHED (Forestry) parlayed a forwardly-placed trip

into a neck victory in Saturday's $300,000

Meadowlands Cup S. (G2), improving to two-for-two this season and setting

himself up for a possible bid at the Breeders' Cup. The Kiaran

McLaughlin-trained colt is now five-for-five in the United States, with his lone

career setback coming via a fourth in the 2008 U.A.E. Two Thousand Guineas (UAE-G3), and Alan

Garcia has guided the four-year-old to all of his wins.

"We had a great trip," Garcia said. "He broke well and sat right in behind

the early speed. At the quarter-pole I had a horse on the inside (Cool Coal Man) and outside of me (Kiss the Kid) and figured that

was the time to let him go. I thought it was best to let him run his race and he

did just that. The horse on the outside (Kiss The Kid) wasn't going to go by us.

This is a smart and talented horse."

Favored at 8-5, Etched broke well from the outermost post and tracked Great

Debater (Trippi) through early splits in :23 1/5, :46 4/5 and 1:10 1/5 over the

sloppy, sealed track. He advanced to the lead on the far turn and suddenly found himself

confronted by Cool Coal Man (Mineshaft) and Kiss the Kid (Lemon Drop Kid) as they turned for home, but Garcia

let it out a notch and Etched accelerated away from his rivals, reaching the

mile mark with a half-length lead in 1:33 4/5. Multiple Grade 3 winner Kiss the

Kid, an earner of $736,267 who was making his final career start following four

seasons of racing, reduced the margin slightly in the final furlong but was

never a serious threat. Etched stopped the teletimer in 1:45.93, just missing

the 1 1/8-mile track record of 1:45.50.

The favorite paid $5.40, $4 and $3.40 while topping the $41 exacta. Kiss the Kid

returned $6 and $3.60 at 7-1. Anak Nakal (Victory Gallop), who moved four wide

on the turn and rallied to finish third, five lengths back at 9-2, gave back $3

and completed the $145.80 trifecta. It was another 1 1/4 lengths to the 41-1

Racketeer (Awesome Again), who capped the $1,676.40 superfecta (8-3-1-4). Cool

Coal Man, Good and Lucky (Wild Rush), It's a Bird (Birdonthewire) and Great

Debater rounded out the order of finish. Solar Flare (Arg) (Salt Lake) was

scratched.

"This horse has been training great up at Saratoga," said Andrew St.

Lawrence, McLaughlin's assistant trainer. "When he's on his game, he's on it.

He's now a perfect five-for-five in the U.S. You can't argue with that. He was

real impressive and the time was good."

Etched is the first foal to race out of 2001 Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1)

winner Unbridled Elaine (Unbridled's Song), who earned $1,770,740 from an

11-6-2-1 career line. The 11-year-old mare is out of multiple stakes winner

Carols Folly (Taylor's Falls), dam of Grade 1 heroine and $1.2 million earner

Glitter Woman (Glitterman) and Gwenjinsky (Cape Town), herself the dam of 

multiple Grade 2 queen Lead Story (Editor's Note) and stakes victor Capejinsky (Cape Town). Glitterwoman is responsible for 2007

Suburban H. (G1) winner Political Force (Unbridled's Song). Etched has a

yearling half-brother by Distorted Humor and a weanling half-brother by Discreet Cat.

A 6 3/4-length debut winner at two, Etched captured the 2007 Nashua S. (G3)

by 6 1/2 lengths. The chestnut raced only twice at three, concluding last season with a

half-length score in a November allowance/optional claiming event at Aqueduct,

and made a belated 2009 return at Saratoga, winning a nine-furlong

allowance/optional claimer on September 3. His career mark now reads

6-5-0-0, $357,980.